1989 Chevy Corvette?

Hey guys, so I sold my Taurus finally and am now looking for another car. I came across an extremely nice 1989 Chevy Corvette with 71k miles on it for $6,899 (asking price). The guy says that he has replaced some things like plugs, belts, etc.

I know this is not your typical DD car, but what do you think about the car? I have looked all around for good reviews talking about their reliability and and the life expectancy but have not come across much.

What are some things to look out for (issues?), will this car last if taken care of with simple, relatively cheap maintenance? What can I expect from this car as far as quality and reliability? Thank you.

Meh. Ask about the catalytic converter and its mileage and power. It may be disappointing and worse than your Taurus. Also the Corvette's engine may be good, but there are a lot of things to go wrong. If you are looking for a fun, fast, and reliable car, look for a first generation Porsche Boxter. If you can, go for the Boxter S. The normal Boxter is a shopping cart.

Seriously? What exactly do I ask about with those three things? What about the clutch? How often does that usually need to be replaced? I've heard that, if taken care of, that engine can go and go for a good long while. I guess I should ask for a carfax and service records too.

What are common issues that can come up with the Corvette engine of this year?

The main issue with the 1989 Corvette is that it is ridiculously slow. Like 230 horsepower slow. Camrys would be whoopin' on you. At that price, it is too much. Half that with the rest left over for mods might make it worth your trouble.
___________________________

I am not worried about it beating cars on the road, nor do I plan to upgrade things. What I am concerned about is reliability and how well it will hold up. Also, I refuse to believe that a Corvette will get whooped by a Camry; that is just funny! It's a good, relatively fast car.

StealthDriver:Seriously? What exactly do I ask about with those three things? What about the clutch? How often does that usually need to be replaced? I've heard that, if taken care of, that engine can go and go for a good long while. I guess I should ask for a carfax and service records too.

What are common issues that can come up with the Corvette engine of this year?

Ask if they work or are on. Also ask about the timing belt and clutch. Ask for last replace date. You honestly don't want a timing belt with more than 15-30 thousand miles on it. The clutch should be around 20-60 thousand miles, no more. There are so many things to go wrong, but the good thing is there are less issues with your hopeful Corvette than there were even 2 years ago. More things to ask about: under the surface rust like on the chassis, if the header gaskets are under 100 thousand miles, if the car has ever behaved out of the normal, how many owners and their age (if possible) for obvious reasons, any weather gaskets like those on the door or sometimes the trunk, weather or not it has been serviced recently, what kind of oil it has been using, look at a Carfax, Google "used car buying guide" and read a few, look for uneven tire wear, any cracks in the fiberglass (not a huge problem if the panel is original), look at the paint in direct sunlight, do a through inspection of the interior, ESPECIALLY the electricals, ask for a test drive and note any wheel wobble or roughness or a rhythmical bumping or clanking noise, note if the gauges are working, open the hood and check if the clamshell type hood opens with more than what seems necessary effort or warps, thoroughly inspect the engine, look at the belt for uneven wear or fraying, check the locks, ask the owner to start the engine while you watch and listen to the engine, check out the air filter, ask to let the car idle for 5 minutes and note any sporadic variation in the RPMs or sound of the engine, check out the digital dash (if it is normal analog gauges then you have a 1990 or later Corvette), ask for the owner to operate the lights and signals including high-beams, and, if possible, and you feel this car isn't optimal, get a cylinder compression test on it.

I know it looks daunting, but if you buy it then you can say that you have a Corvette. Print out a checklist or even this whole thread. Google "C4 Corvette buyer's guide." Don't be afraid to turn it down, and don't go to the seller with money. If you want it, just tell him that you want it and you have to go get your money.

One more thing: please update this thread on what you plan to do or what you did; I am curious and excited about this. And don't forget Craigslist especially the Porsche 944 '86 and above. You can get good one for four-to-six grand.

The L98 V-8 in the '89 Corvette doesn't have a timing belt, it uses a timing chain that'll last the life of the car with good maintenance.
___________________________________________Follow me on twitter @MT_Evans and @MotorTrendFriend Motor Trend on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/motortrendmag

I'm continually surprised by some people's the lack of knowledge on a certain topic, yet they feel compelled to give advice anyway...

On the subject of C4 Vettes, the things you need to look/ask about is the gauge cluster. It is an old 80's throwback using electronic speedometer and tachometer, and they like to burn out and cost a few hundred to replace, even if you do all the R&R yourself. Also, the headlights need to stay DOWN when the car is off. The fiberglass body is prone to cracking at stress points and areas of chassis flex, so look for areas that look like deep spider-webbing in the paint. Also, the paint can be prone to losing the clear coat on that era of GM vehicles. Lastly, C4 Vettes notoriously have a brutal ride due to their stiffly sprung suspension, you'll definitely want some seat time and take it on the highway to get a feel if you could really live with such a ride in a day-in, day-out basis. Look at the lower edge of the car and see if any gravel road driving or other debri has put holes into the fiberglass body. Mechanically, the TPI 350 and 4 speed auto (if in your case, the manual 6 speed) are stout pieces of equipment and are reliable as any other piece of 80's tech..That is to say, pretty reliable if the sands of time haven't caused corrosion in the electrical connectors and if the car has at least been driven semi occasionally.Keep in mind that an 89 Corvette has no airbags, if that is of any importance to you.For the more mundane things that go wrong, I recommend trolling a C4 specific bulletin board and look at their 'problems' section to find any recurrent problematic areas. Usually these boards put stickies up top for the most frequently encountered problems. That should at least arm you with the basic knowledge of problem areas to look for when inspecting this Corvette.

In short, I don't recommend buying a C4 corvette (or any Vette) as a daily driver. Despite the low initial purchase price, the parts on the car are still Vette-specific, and as such, cost Vette prices. If you couldn't afford it when new, you likely can't afford to repair it when it breaks now.

Redchocobo1:The main issue with the 1989 Corvette is that it is ridiculously slow. Like 230 horsepower slow. Camrys would be whoopin' on you. At that price, it is too much. Half that with the rest left over for mods might make it worth your trouble.

The '89 Corvette had 245 hp, although by todays standards it's weak in comparison to a lot of cars it still would do 0-60 in low-mid 5 second range. Hardly ridiculously slow as you put it, especially for 1989.

I had an '88 Corvette, although I didn't keep the car that long I loved it. The GM small block is bullet proof but the Corvette does have a lot of other things (digital dash, power seats, windows etc) that could go wrong.... yes new cars have this but this is a 22 year old car after all.
----------------------------------------

StealthDriver:Hey guys, so I sold my Taurus finally and am now looking for another car. I came across an extremely nice 1989 Chevy Corvette with 71k miles on it for $6,899 (asking price). The guy says that he has replaced some things like plugs, belts, etc.

I know this is not your typical DD car, but what do you think about the car? I have looked all around for good reviews talking about their reliability and and the life expectancy but have not come across much.

What are some things to look out for (issues?), will this car last if taken care of with simple, relatively cheap maintenance? What can I expect from this car as far as quality and reliability? Thank you.

I wouldn't buy a car with such high miles since it probably won't last to long.
VTEC just kicked in yo!

Redchocobo1:The main issue with the 1989 Corvette is that it is ridiculously slow. Like 230 horsepower slow. Camrys would be whoopin' on you. At that price, it is too much. Half that with the rest left over for mods might make it worth your trouble.

Lovemesomecars:The '89 Corvette had 245 hp, although by todays standards it's weak in comparison to a lot of cars it still would do 0-60 in low-mid 5 second range. Hardly ridiculously slow as you put it, especially for 1989.

I had an '88 Corvette, although I didn't keep the car that long I loved it. The GM small block is bullet proof but the Corvette does have a lot of other things (digital dash, power seats, windows etc) that could go wrong.... yes new cars have this but this is a 22 year old car after all.

I stand corrected, they do run a 14.42 quarter. A Camry would need to run a perfect 1/4 to beat that, but it could still do it.
___________________________

Redchocobo1:The main issue with the 1989 Corvette is that it is ridiculously slow. Like 230 horsepower slow. Camrys would be whoopin' on you. At that price, it is too much. Half that with the rest left over for mods might make it worth your trouble.

Lovemesomecars:The '89 Corvette had 245 hp, although by todays standards it's weak in comparison to a lot of cars it still would do 0-60 in low-mid 5 second range. Hardly ridiculously slow as you put it, especially for 1989.

I had an '88 Corvette, although I didn't keep the car that long I loved it. The GM small block is bullet proof but the Corvette does have a lot of other things (digital dash, power seats, windows etc) that could go wrong.... yes new cars have this but this is a 22 year old car after all.

Redchocobo1:I stand corrected, they do run a 14.42 quarter. A Camry would need to run a perfect 1/4 to beat that, but it could still do it.